My Light, My Flame
by CameoRuby
Summary: Lightning, spurred on to save Fang and Vanille from an eternity of crystallisation, journeys on a series of quests, each bringing her closer to the key. However, there's someone on a similar quest that might impede her own mission. LIGHT x OC
1. Chapter 1

_Once upon a time, a god ruled the world. He was called Buniberzei._

_Buniberzei defeated his mother, the goddess Muin, and took control of the world for himself._

_Muin disappeared into the unseen world-the invisible world._

_Buniberzei was a god with many troubles._

_The world, it was certain, was destined to die._

_He believed this was a curse laid on the world by his mother Muin. Buniberzei knew he had to destroy her._

_To do this, he must search for the door. The door to the invisible world where his mother waited._

_Using his will alone, he created the first fal'Cie._

_First, he created fal'Cie Pulse._

_The duty he laid on him was to open the world, and search for the door to Muin._

_Next, he created fal'Cie Etro._

_But it was a mistake. Unknowingly, he created her exactly in the image of Muin._

_Buniberzei feared her, and gave Etro no power of her own._

_Instead, he created fal'Cie Lindzei._

_The duty he laid on him was to protect Buniberzei from all who might seek to destroy him._

_Buniberzei gave Lindzei one special duty. To wake him once the time came._

_Then he turned to crystal, and fell into an endless sleep._

_Pulse wished to expand the world, so he created many fal'Cie and l'Cie._

_Lindzai wished to protect the world, so he created many fal'Cie and l'Cie._

_But Etro was powerless, and could do nothing of her own._

_Lonely, she thought of her mother, who she so resembled._

_Etro tore at her body, letting her blood flow to the earth, and disappeared from the visible world._

_From that blood, torn from her body, sprung humankind._

_Creatures that were born, only to die._

_The destruction of the visible world was no curse, only fate._

_The world was divided into two halves, the visible and the invisible._

_If the balance between these two were destroyed, the world itself would be destroyed._

_The goddess Muin could do nothing to stop this fate._

_She was being swallowed into the chaos of the invisible world._

_Just before her last moment, Etro came to her side._

_Muin told Etro that she must protect the balance of the world, before slipping into the chaos forever._

_But Etro was foolish, and didn't know the meaning behind Muin's words._

_Etro was lonely, but she felt affection for those humans who live only to die._

_As they died, she smiled, and gave them chaos._

_The chaos Etro gave them, the humans named "heart"._

_Their hearts would become their power, but the humans did not yet know this._

_Soon, they called Pulse the all powerful ruler. Lindzei they named their protector, and Etro... Etro the named 'death'._

_The humans lived on the world, hold chaos inside them._

_Because they held chaos so close, the world once again was in balance._

_And Buniberzei still sleeps. A crystal._

_Until the end of forever..._

_

* * *

_

_**So I hope you read that up there ^^ if no one really gets it, I'll add a few pointers in the next chapter. (I didn't write it btw, it's a translation of the FF Legend).**_

_**Anywho, welcome to my first Final Fantasy XIII story! This is set straight after the ending of XIII, so **__**if you don't want spoilers Do Not Read**__**!**_

_**In a nutshell, this is the story summary:**_

_**"Lightning, spurred on to save Fang and Vanille from an eternity of crystallisation, journeys on a series of quests, each bringing her closer to the key. However, there's someone on a similar quest that might impede her own mission."**_

_**It's LightxOC**_

_**It was inspired by the trailer for XIII-2 but is NOT what will actually happen in the sequel! It's just my own imagination running away with me!**_

_**Anyway, now that I've convinced everyone I'm not psychic, lets begin the story!**_

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to Final Fantasy in any way, shape or form. I acknowledge that it is all Square Enix's mastermind invention/creation/baby so I definitely do not own it! I also notice that this is not an official thing. Just a young writer playing around with fiction, trying to become a better author **

**I did create the personality of the dashing hero you'll come into contact later though. He's a wistful product of my imagination, based of the image given in the trailer, but definitely not it.**

* * *

For a moment, her eyes didn't respond. Her arms. Her legs. They remained frozen like icicles, no matter how hard she tried to move them, or how hard she wished, willed and prayed for her body to respond.

Unable to move, her mind went into overdrive.

I've been attacked. Paralysed. Using some kind of weapon or magic. I don't know how far my weapon is. I don't even know if I'm being watched right now.

Trying to breathe, but not able to open her mouth, she tried to remember anything.

All I can remember is darkness. I _have _been attacked. By who, I don't know.

And so, as she began to hyperventilate, natural instincts kicked in. She could feel…soft something under her back…a slight breeze? From her right…yes, her right side…

She could hear…some kind of calling far away. Not human, some kind of animal. Softly calling.

Taste…Her mouth was dry…She'd obviously been unconscious for a while – dehydrated.

Around her was the smell of something familiar. Something strange, but welcome. She'd came across it before, but where?

As she tried to place the scent, her alerted hearing caught the snapping of something light towards the place the breeze was coming from.

Thump…Thump-

CRACK.

And that did it. With a sense of knowing urgency at survival, her body leapt into obedience and within a moment, she was standing with her feet apart and arms raised, eyes snapping open, narrowed and concentrated, but squinting at the sudden brightness.

"Whoa there!"

Something white and blurry was standing in front of her. Standing?

Cursing her slow adjusting eyes, she simply found better footing and tensed her muscles. Slowly, the blurriness ceased and she could see the stranger properly.

"Look," His hands were held up in surrender, "I just went to get us some clean water. If you get your act together and take a seat, I'll tell you what you want to know."

"I'd like to know now." She replied curtly, finding her voice but hearing it was alarming.

The man only raised an eyebrow at her rough sounding voice. "Look, it's all good for you to be standing to attention like that, but I've got a new wound that makes standing up a pain in the arse for me." He shifted his weight and lowered his arms, "So, if I may."

He didn't wait for a reply. Casually, he crossed the distance, heading straight towards her. As he kept getting closer, she darted back-

"Ouch, that gotta hurt." He smirked at her from his perch on a fallen tree branch.

Glaring up from the dirt floor, she struggled up, her body wavering and her mind dizzy. Not wanting to face his amusement at her struggles, but not wanting to faint in front of him, she carefully picked her way back over the other tree branch that tripped her, before sitting on it lightly. Poised and ready to attack if he showed any threat.

The man shook his head slightly at her antics, before tapping his knee. "Can't do much lately with this baby. Damn nearly cut my leg off."

The pink-haired woman remained silent, her ice blue eyes narrowed slightly.

Figuring her a warrior of some sorts, he noticed her lack of weapon. "In a fight recently, hmm?"

She didn't respond, but he noticed a flicker of confusion and worry in her eyes.

They stayed silent for a while, the man waiting for something. When he didn't get it, he kicked off his right boot and rolled up his pant leg.

A horrible disfigured scar marked his tanned skin. Her eyes darted to it, widening slightly, before returning to see him smiling grimly.

"Yep. Got this one fighting one of those darn rebels in the Far Ranges. Have had to keep out of trouble since…" He regarded her calmly. "Of course, then I found you."

She snapped to attention then, interest piqued.

He scratched his stubbled chin, eyes rising in thought. "Lets see…must have been, oh, a week, since I found you."

"Where?"

It was the first time he heard her proper voice and it made him start slightly. As smooth as water, but as sharp and quick as a flash of a sword. It was no tinkling of bells, but it sure was lovely to hear, even on his old harsh ears.

"Just a mile or so that direction, in the river." He vaguely pointed over her right shoulder. Of course, she didn't turn to look, obviously not trusting him much at the moment. "What were you doing in there anyway? Could of drowned if I wasn't heading that way myself."

She shook her head slightly. "I don't remember being in a river."

"What do you remember then?" He challenged.

A bite of her lip. She shook her head once again. "I don't remember anything but darkness."

His eyes darkened. "You were attacked then."

The pink haired beauty just shrugged, and finally took in where she was. It had seemed familiar before, and even now something nagged at her, but she couldn't remember exactly. The ground was bright green grass, only marked brown where the campfire stood. They were on the edge of a cliff, nearly, it wasn't too far away. On her right was forest, and then to her left was an open field of grass with rolling hills stretching as far as her eyes could see.

Their camp was made out of fallen trees, and the sky opened up to a wonderful blue spread complete with fluffy white clouds here and there.

"The view on the cliff is spectacular." He offered, gesturing.

Unsure about him still, she didn't move.

"Look," He said, exasperated at her attitude, "I'm not going to bloody hurt you, alright? For one, I can't move with this stupid leg, and for another, I have no reason to! If I really wanted to, I could have left you to drown!"

Her only response was a slow blink, and then a slight nod. Finally, she stood, lowered her eyes, and then walked to the cliff. She stood there, pink hair fluttering with the breeze, one hand lowered on her hip where he supposed she would have usually kept her weapon, the other hugging her middle like something hurt there.

Shocked at his own outburst, he shook his head and tried to gather his thoughts. Okay, so the mystery woman had finally woke up and didn't trust him. Okay, if he was her, he probably wouldn't trust her either. Now, he needed to get his act together and see if she was alright, especially with that arm wrapped around her stomach.

Slowly, so as not to startle her, he got up and hobbled over to her side. She made no move to acknowledge his presence, so he decided to declare himself.

"You can see all over the land from here. It's away from the hustle and bustle of most of the normal routes, so I figure'd you'd rather wake up here than some strange little town."

The woman nodded, her hand clenching around her hip.

"Have…have you seen my…blade?"

She turned to see his brow furrowing and knew the answer before he explained.

"You had nothing on you when I saved you. Although, the water might have hidden your sword." She gave a little start at that, "We can detour past there once you're well enough to travel."

"I'm fine. We'll leave now."

The man chuckled and shook his head. "I call the shots here, girl." He gestured to her arm. "And if you're so fine and dandy, why are you clutching your stomach?"

Surprised, she glanced down. It was true. Quickly, she released her torso and let her arm hang loose. "I don't know. It's a funny feeling that's all."

"Ah," He turned and staggered back to the campfire, "If that's it, then maybe this is what you need."

As she turned, a delicious smell overcame her senses. Her eyes zeroed in on an open pot of soup. Without realising it, she was suddenly sitting over by the campfire, a full bowl in her hands. No sense in waiting, she dug in.

The man watched her eat hungrily and wondered just what had happened…

* * *

Full of sustenance, they both sat lazily under the orange sky. They hadn't conversed over their supper, but the woman had finally relaxed, letting her muscles loose and shutting her eyes briefly.

The sounds of the land had changed. Chirping was still evident, but now the night was filled with growls and shrieks. Fog had also started to creep up towards them, and she eyed it warily.

"Don't worry," The man interrupted her study, "Nothing prowls near the cliff. Just, don't go wandering in the middle of the night."

She gave him a curious look.

"The fog will circle us, surround us. If you step out of this campsite, you'll become lost in it. And if you end up at the cliff, you'll go over it. I'm not sure if you realised it, but there's a bunch of sharp rocks at the bottom."

Squeezing her eyes shut against the image that flickered in her mind, she shook her head. Finally, she opened them again. The man was looking sombre.

'Happened too many a time with kids from the village. One last week, actually. A kid went adventuring during the night and ended up being found by the village people down near the bottom of the cliff."

"Only kids?"

The man shrugged. "The stories about kids pull the heartstrings, but there are stories about other people. Adults. Travellers. Actually, used to be a good defence back when the armies were invading. Used to come this way. Cliff's not on the map for those reasons you know. And since they travelled by night, when the fog came in, they had no hope."

The woman raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Armies?"

"Oh yeah," The man waved a hand. "Big great wars. Last one was about twenty years ago now, but there's always rumours."

"About?"

"A new war between this country and another that we have no knowledge about." He stretched out an arm, "But if we're going to get down to politics, we should really introduce ourselves. I'm Lucilius Donahue."

A bit amused, she shook his offered hand.

He nodded at her reaction. "I know, I know. A bit regal for a roughie like me, but what can I say, my family line has a long history." As she let out a smile, they dropped their hands. "And you?"

The woman looked worried. "I don't remember."

Tilting his head, he regarded her with a soft expression. "That's okay. Perhaps it'll come to you sometime later."

Appreciating his gesture, but not wanting to feel any weaker than she already was, she continued the conversation. "Do you know anything? I mean, why was I in a river?"

"You have a better idea than me, darlin'." He clattered some dishes and shoved them in a battered bag. As soon as he tied the bag, he settled back and sighed. "Let's see…I was walking along the well worn travelling path, when there was a bunch of wolves in front of me. Of course, I can't fight with this leg, so I did a bit of a detour. Part of that was going through the river…"

_The river was always messier upstream, but downstream was easier enough to cross without doing too much damage. Of course, there was always the chance of supplies getting destroyed by the water._

"_Ah, darn it. I'll just throw my pack over and be done with it." He decided, and leant heavily on the makeshift crutch he had made. _

_A few minutes later, the river appeared. He sighed and tugged at the straps on his shoulder. He heaved the bag off and collected it in his hand. Standing at the edge of the river, he evaluated, leant back, and then threw the bag forwards, releasing it in a high arc over the river. _

_It landed heavily, but safely, on the other side. _

"_Okay, me next." Grasping his crutch tightly, he stepped into the river. _

_The smooth pebbles at the bottom were soothing on his tired, aching feet. He waded through the water, trying to keep most of himself dry. And then, something made him pause. He looked around, trying to figure out why he had stopped._

"_Huh…what's that?" _

_Carefully, he stepped forwards and pulled back a funny looking bunch of river weeds._

_He cursed and leapt forward. A pink haired woman was cradled on her side in the river, head only supported by a rock. As he watched, her head lolled off and fell into the river. Almost instantly, the river current began to sweep her away._

"_No, no, no!" He shouted and dropped his crutch. _

_Leaping forward, he waded through and managed to grasp her forearms in each of his own hands. Cheeks reddening, he pulled her up and into a princess cradle. Trying not to think of her smooth skin and soft pink hair, he tried valiantly to wade through the river to the other side._

_Finally, he made it, and gently deposited her on the soft grass. Without wasting a moment, he rummaged through his pack and found his spare set of clothes. Averting his gaze, he dressed her and then placed a blanket over her. _

_Then, he counted her pulse. It was a little quick, but it would be fine. _

_As he surveyed her for other injuries, he noticed a slight blush coming back into her cheeks and sighed thankfully._

"_Well, aren't you a mystery."_

…and then, I picked you up and carried you to here. Set us up a little campsite."

"Why here if the cliff is here…?"

"Well, since it is here, there are less people going this way. That's why I said before that this is away from the hustle and the bustle."

"So I had a fever?"

"Yes." His brow furrowed once again, and he crossed his arms. "Gave me a scare a few days ago. Started screaming in your sleep. Course, I was out getting us some food and water. Came back expecting your guts to be everywhere, the way you were screaming."

She blushed brightly. "Sorry." She murmured so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

He waved it away, though. "It's fine. Anway, all was good." A smile curled his lips. "Oh and there was other things you were murmuring. Names."

"Names?"

He held up a hand and counted them off his fingers. "Hope, Snow, Sazh, Dajh, and then Vanille, Fang and Serah."

She repeated each on her mind, but ended up running a worried hand through her knotty hair. "I think I remember them, but I don't actually…_remember_."

"Hmm, well how about something about Lightning-"

The woman jumped, and her hand went to her chest. Blue eyes opened wide she gasped.

"Lightning. It flashes bright, then fades away. It can't protect, it can only destroy."

Lucilius tilted his head. "Lightning huh…"

"I…" She blushed, "I think it's my name."

The man nodded. "Ah, well, nickname it must be. Unless you separated from your family name…?"

'Lightning' looked confused, so he continued.

"My son disliked the Donahue name, and so he cast it away. Kept his first name, of course. Lovely first name, you would've liked it. But the last name didn't suit well with him, he said." Lucilius sighed. "That boy…"

Feeling slightly awkward, Lightning pursed her lips. "You know, I don't think Lightning is my real name. It's kind of like it, I think. But I had a normal name…"

"Hmm how about… Claire?"

Lightning leapt up, smiling. "That's it. I'm Claire. Clair…and my sister is…_Serah_."

The man looked happy, gleeful in fact. "Then your last name must be Farron."

She nodded exuberantly. "Yes, that's right. Oh, thank you Lucilius."

He waved it away, "Call me Lucil, please."

Lightning nodded, and then realised she had jumped up like a child. Embarrassed, she sat back down.

"I guessed Farron because you were murmuring in your sleep. That Snow would sound silly with Farron as his last name when he married your sister, Serah."

Lightning held onto every piece of new information like a lifeline. "Did I say anything else?" She asked, urgently.

Lucil shook his head, and stood. "I'm sorry, that's all I heard."

Lightning sighed, her whole body melting back into the tree trunk. "Oh…"

She watched him walk up and down the edge of the fallen tree, kicking dirt here and there, before he piled up a bunch of dirt near one end. He moulded it with his hands, before shrugging off his coat.

At this point did Lightning finally observe his appearance. Lucil had warm brown eyes, with slight creases around the side, hinting at his older age. As he was taking off his coat, she realised that he was about her height. His hair was the same deep brown as his eyes, but it looked like it needed a cut.

"We'll see how things go in the morning. If it's all well, then we'll start on our way back to the river." He explained, settling down to sleep. His head rested on the moulded piece of sand, and he threw his coat over himself as a blanket.

"Where are you heading?" Lightning asked, not making a move.

"Well, down there to the city." He shut his eyes. "Make sure you keep that blanket on you. Gets freezing up here on the cliff."

Lightning looked down at the blanket, before her eyes drifted to her clothes. They were loose – too big. He had said that he had dressed her when he found her in the river. She blushed bright red and grabbed her blanket. Funny though…the clothes didn't seem familiar. They were rough too. She hoped she wouldn't have to be in them too long…

The sounds of the night loudened, growls and shrieks echoing and seeming closer than ever. The fog was only a few hundred feet away now. At a particular loud growl, Lightning tensed and clutched the blanket. Soft snores came from the lump that was Lucil. He got to sleep quickly…

Lightning breathed in deeply and carefully crawled onto her knees. She patted and pushed the ground around, trying to find the softest piece of grass. Before long, she just gave up and curled up with her back against the tree trunk she had been sitting on before.

Quietly, she listened to the creatures and the night time.

* * *

Sleep would not come.

Lightning lay on her back, staring up at the last bit of starry sky. The fog had closed in around them, and was slowly climbing above, shutting them into a grey world. She didn't like this. She felt like running, and that's when she realised how all those other poor people had ended up dead or missing. The sheer terror would have forced them to run, to follow their fleeing instinct, but they had been misled by the fathomless fog.

Quivering, Lightning glanced over at Lucil. She startled herself, because his caring brown eyes were staring back at her.

"Relax. It won't come inside." His voice was soothing.

Her body responded and stopped quivering in terror. She clutched the blanket tighter and turned her head away, embarrassed at her childish fear.

"It's a bubble, of sorts…A magic shield that it cannot enter. Sleep easy, my mysterious friend. No harm will come to us tonight."

And with that, the fog cut off the remaining view of the stars and the sky, leaving them lonely, but untouched…

**_

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_**

_**And there's the first chapter of this story :) Review pls and tell me if you didn't really get the story about the gods up the top, cos I'll add some pointers next chap. Thanks! ;)**_


	2. Chapter 2

In the previous chapter, Lightning did seem OOC (Out Of Character) and I know that. However, as time goes on, she will revert to her character from the games, although perhaps a little softer. It's just because she's lost her memories – and experiences are very much what determines someone's character – their behaviour and values. As her memories return and she goes through trials, aspects of the 'Real Lightning' will come back.

So, without further ado, heres…

**CHAPTER TWO**

_Our story is only just beginning. With no past memories, Lightning has been deposited in an unfamiliar world. A travelling man, named Lucilius Donahue, has taken the mysterious woman under his wing after finding her and rescuing her from nearly drowning in a river. He reveals she has been unconscious with fever for the past week, and that her murmuring in her sleep had revealed her name – Claire Farron -, nickname – Lightning -, and that she has a sister named Serah who will marry a man called Snow. _

_Confused and unsure of her purpose in this world, Lightning is just waking up after a troublesome sleep…_

The clanging of metal woke her and past instincts set her on edge. Immediately she was on her feet, arms up in defence. This time, Lucil didn't even bother to look up at her.

"Ah, now that you're up, would you mind getting some firewood?"

Lightning took in her surroundings. Oh, that's right… She glanced around, surprised the fog was gone. Relaxing, she realised that Lucil had already been up and about. And by the looks of it, he'd caught them some breakfast.

"It's over that way. Just grab any that look like they need a good burning." He gestured towards the forest closest to them, but once again did not look up from whatever he was fidgeting with.

Lightning nodded to herself and began her way towards the forest. The sun was only just peeking over the horizon, casting a warm glow on everything in it's path. The birds were singing, and for once there were no growls or shrieks. It was such a peaceful morning, that Lightning gathered wood slowly, taking her time to inspect each one.

As she was debating on whether to take back a longer stick, a thought occurred to her. She picked it up and tossed it on top of the pile of wood, before collecting them all in her arms and making her way back to camp.

"Thought you got lost." Lucil joked, sitting next to the pot filled with their breakfast.

Lightning knelt down and began placing the wood methodically under the pot. Halfway through, she passed him the long stick.

"What's this?" He took it and held it out, "I thought you'd be able to snap something like this, the way you walk around."

Raising an eyebrow and wondering just what he meant, Lightning sighed and continued her fire making. "It's for you."

"For me?" He repeated, hiding his confused look in case it hurt her. "Oh, thank you. I've never been given such a…lovely…piece of wood…"

She couldn't handle his forced politeness – she bit her tongue and choked back her laughter. "It's for your leg-" She managed to say quickly, in between bouts of laughter/choking, "A crutch, since you lost yours when you saved me."

The light went on in his mind and he breathed out, "Ohh!" He stood and measured it up against his leg. Testing its strength, he leaned heavily on it. As he walked around, using it to support himself, she watched out of the corner of her eye. When it didn't snap, they both seemed satisfied.

As he added some spices to their boiling soup, Lightning watched the flames lick the underside of the metal pot. Lucil was sorting through his bag again.

"What are you looking for?"

He glanced up at her and shrugged. "Just seeing what supplies we got. Which isn't many." He added with a furrowed brow. "Looks like we'll be taking a longer detour than we thought…"

But even though he said this casually, his eyes darkened and apprehension crossed his face.

Perhaps it's the time it'll take? "Are you meant to be somewhere?"

He shook his head and gave up trying to count supplies, instead retying the bag and setting it far away from him. "No, nothing like that. It's just, we don't have enough supplies to get to the town I wanted to go to…"

Not seeing what the problem was, Lightning just checked on the soup. Finding it ready, she ladled it into bowls and slid one across the ground to him. He thanked her and ate it greedily while she contentedly matched him spoonful for spoonful. Once done, they used the last of their drinking water to wash out the bowls, before wrapping them up and putting them back in the travelling bag.

"Well, doesn't look like we left anything behind." He announced, eyes sweeping their campsite. "Guess we better get moving."

He leant on his crutch, leaning down to pick up the bag, but a hand quickly swept through, caught the straps and heaved it away. Eyes narrowed, he stood to argue, but upon seeing Lightning striding away, bag on her back, hair streaming, he grinned.

"And where do you think you're going?" He called out to her, leaning casually on his crutch.

With determined eyes and a self-satisfied smile on her face, she called over her shoulder, "The river first, to see if my blade is there. Then, the village for supplies."

"Oh really, and then what?"

Pausing, she tilted her head. "Then, I'm going to go to another village-"

"Another village? Which one?"

Angrily, she shook her head. "Whatever one I like. And then, I'm going to go to the city."

"How're you going to get there?" He asked, seeming genuinely curious, but Lightning saw his smirk and glared at him.

"Walk."

'Walk? Really, you're going to walk there? Hmm?" He clucked his tongue and shook his head. "And you're going to steal an old man's supplies and leave him out here to die, are you?"

Finally she turned around and faced him, twenty or so paces apart, but still her glare was full of strength. "No, you're coming with me."

Lucil thought for a moment, but then let out a smirk again. "I don't feel like playing hostage today." And with that, he straightened and walked towards her.

As he passed, he flicked the straps on her shoulder and grinned at her good-naturedly. "Since we're going together, we'll take turns with the pack."

Poor Lightning had no choice but to swallow her embarrassment, clear her anger, and follow her new companion across the open hillside.

"So how are we going to get to the city?" She asked, adjusting the straps on the bag.

He just turned to her and grinned. "Walk."

* * *

Its metal gleamed in the sunlight as the walked along. It felt normal – like it belonged in her hand, an extension of her own body and soul. Striking forwards, she whipped it across thin air, slicing it smoothly, before spinning and plunging it through the air once more.

Lucil watched as she spun, leapt and struck. She definitely had practice. In fact, if he didn't want to inflate her ego anymore than it already was, he'd tell her that she's one of the best fighters he'd ever seen. But of course her ego was almost about to explode, the way she confidently strutted around. Lost all her memories and she's still one hundred percent sure of herself.

He chuckled to himself. No, it wasn't that kind of ego. She was just aware of herself and her abilities. He didn't think she'd be the one to sit on her high horse when everyone else walked along beside her. In fact, she'd probably get off her horse and end up crawling along as everyone walked.

Just as a flare of particularly bright sunlight caught on the metal blade, the village popped out from between two sides of forest. Glad, as the shoulder straps of the pack were digging into his shoulders, Lucil whistled to get Lightning's attention.

"Put that blade away now. We're in the village's sights."

Lightning paused, still poised in an offensive pose, before searching around on her outfit for somewhere to put it. Seeking advice, she locked eyes with Lucil.

He lifted his pant leg, to reveal a boot. From that, he pulled out a dagger. He flipped it expertly, then returned it to its hidden sheath and covered it up.

"Handy, huh." He winked. "But I don't think you can do the same for your…what was it – gunblade?"

Lightning nodded and kept searching.

It was then that Lucil called her to a stop.

"Look, this village," He gestured to the dark mass of buildings. "It ain't of the best. Keep your weapon close at all times. Don't make eye contact when you don't need to. And for Etro sake, don't challenge anyone!"

Wrinkling her nose at the orders, Lightning nevertheless nodded. Lucil seemed a bit more relaxed, but he still looked on edge. He surveyed her outfit.

"It's pretty baggy." He remarked.

Lightning nodded, knowing full well that it looked like she was drowning in fabric.

"Your hair stands out." He pointed, and looked through his bag of tricks. Finally, he pulled out a little tin of black stuff. "Put this on."

"On what? My boots?" Lightning gestured to the huge boots she was wearing, eyeing the black tar substance warily.

"Your hair." At her repulsed look, he continued. "I've never seen someone in this world with pink hair. It just doesn't happen."

Surprised, she wrapped her pink tendrils around her finger. "Blue?" He shook his head. "Green?" Once again he shook his head. "Orange?" He paused and shrugged.

"A few, but not common."

"How about purple?"

The tin dropped to the floor, black liquid spilling out. Lucil cursed and hurried to pick it up. He inspected the tin and gave a sigh. "Well, there goes that plan."

Lightning was secretly relieved as he put the tin away. From within the bag, he pulled out a piece of material that seemed to go on forever.

"Here, it was my son's. Might be a bit big." He murmured, pulling out a cloak for himself.

Lightning propped her gunblade up against her leg, before pulling on the cloak. It was a rich, soft fabric so unlike the clothes she was wearing. It was a deep black, but had a sort of purple tinge when the sun hit it.

"Pull the hood up. Keep your face lowered. We're aiming for you to look like a man the whole time we're in this village."

Lightning found a pocket within the cloak and slid her gunblade in there. "And how long will that be?"

"Overnight. We'll be gone before sunrise though." He glanced to her. "Did you put your gunblade in the pocket?"

She nodded, amazed that it wasn't weighing down the cloak at all.

"Good. Can't see it." He nodded to himself. "We have enough money to stay at an inn. But, we need to get the supplies before."

Lightning pulled up the hood and lowered her face. Somehow, this village seemed like it was one bad place.

* * *

They passed through the gates, two cloaked figures. When Lucil's cloak barely touched the ground, Lightning's dragged for a good foot at least. There was enough fabric for her to pull it against her front, completely closing off her body from anyone's view, while still the cloak was bulky. The hood was so big, too, that she didn't have to worry so much about keeping her head down.

Lucil had done the talking to the guard at the entry, and he told her that she shouldn't talk unless he allows her to. Lightning, swallowing down her rebellion, nodded and allowed herself to be obedient to his orders.

As of now, Lucil noticed the slight stumbling in Lightning's gait. He used the excuse of a passing traveller bumping into him, to allow himself to draw closer to her.

"I'll walk you to the inn. You should rest." And with that, he withdrew, but still remained close, his own cloak fluttering, in their motion, against hers.

Lightning tipped her head slightly in recognition and allowed him to lead her through the strange, foreboding alleyways.

It was a dark town. In the sense of no lightning, but also the way that suspicious characters lurked in small groups. There was hardly any colour – no laughter or sounds of playing. In fact, she hadn't even seen a child yet. Of course, in this town, it'd be dangerous to let them out at night. Perhaps at day too?

The inn was a foreboding building. It had bars on the windows and smashed glass on the veranda. The door was left wide open and had so many holes and breaks in it that Lightning wondered if they were going to go inside and find everyone on the floor.

Lucil went in first, Lightning following quietly.

"Welcome." A gruff man growled from a table nearby.

There was a large flagon of beer in front of him, half empty. Lightning tried not to let her eyes wander, but somehow they managed to of their own accord. The floor was sticky from spilt beverages, the chairs knocked over on a majority of tables. A questionable lady was at the bar, wiping a chipped glass with a dirty rag. Seeing Lightning's hood turn towards her, the lady winked dramatically, smiling suggestively.

A shiver ran down Lightning's neck as she realised there was a half bloody knife on the counter.

Turning her face back towards Lucil, Lightning shut her eyes and couldn't help but step closer to his back.

Lucil didn't miss this move, but neither did the man.

"Whose that?" He growled, a gleam in his eyes. "Got a girly there, have ya?"

"My son." Lucil remarked dryly. "You were saying about the price?"

The man dragged his eyes away from the hooded figure and began haggling with Lucil. Not wanting to give the man more than the room's worth, but not wanting to let Lightning be in the room with them any longer, Lucil threw a more than fair amount onto the table and turned.

"Go." He murmured, and they left the man to scoop up the gold coins.

When they were up two flights of stairs, Lucil glanced at Lightning's face from under the hood. It was pale and she looked exhausted. Once they reached the top floor, he led her to a room.

"Here, this one's yours." He pointed to the one across the hall. "I'll be in this one. Now-"

But Lightning had crossed to the bed, before changing her mind and throwing her cloak down on the floor in the corner of the room. The coat's thickness provided padding from the harsh wooden floor. She curled up, using the other half of the cloak to wrap around herself like a blanket.

Lucil raised an eyebrow, but let her be. Even he wasn't going to spend the night on these mattresses. He searched through the little room, making sure there were no windows, before he took something out of his bag and began fiddling with the door.

After a few moments, Lucil had the outside side of the doorknob in his hand. He then pocketed it, threw his tools back into the bag, before placing that next to the sleeping Lightning.

"Sleep well," He murmured, taking a look at her peaceful face, before leaving the room.

The door shut quietly, clicking into place as Lightning slept on.

* * *

Now, the gruff man was a lonely man. The bartender wasn't the best for a social conversation, and the only guys that came in for a drink were loud, obnoxious, guys. No ladies. So, he couldn't believe his luck when that shorter figure came in. He then saw it move closer to the back of that other guy, as though seeking protection.

The gruff man climbed the stairs as quietly as he could.

Even if that really was that guy's son, he would still be a bit of fun. Though, he'd have to make sure he didn't run into that man. Cos that man knew about this place, alright. He didn't bother asking for a key. He already knew the doors wouldn't lock.

The gruff man's eyes gleamed. Guess it'd be easiest to see if they took two rooms or one.

He peeked in the door. Empty. Another….empty…empty…this one too, empty. Now there was just two left on the top floor. He climbed the stairs and went up to the first door across the hallway. Taking a breath, he pushed it open. He searched inside.

Nothing.

Excitement filled him and he grinned roguishly. Now, now…time to find the truth. Musta been a girly if they're in the same room, yeah?

He turned to face the door to the other room-

"Don't you dare."

If the words weren't enough to fear, with their venom cut edge, then the blade of metal prickling at his throat was.

Gruff man backed off, hands in the air, before he went stumbling down the stairs.

The black cloaked man simply sighed and took back his position. Once he was sitting, leaning against the woman's door, blade in his hand, casually placed across his knee, he let out another sigh.

"Guess we'll be going early, then."

* * *

Lightning yawned, covering her mouth with one hand. The morning was still dark, and along their road they still found patches of fog. Sightly pink, she lowered her hand and glanced over at Lucil. He'd decided to start the day carrying the pack, and seemed to have no problem with it.

"How many supplies did you get?" She asked, breaking the first silence of the morning.

"A fair bit. Should last through to the next village." Shielding his eyes, he worked out the rough time and how far they'd gone. "We have a choice really."

Lightning slowed to let him catch up, sliding her gunblade out of the pocket of the cloak.

"We can go through a few villiages, which will take longer-" At her look, he hastened to add, "They're not like that last one at all! That's the only bad one really, and we had to go there for supplies. No, these ones are quite nice. Not tourist destinations though – that's the one we're heading to."

"What's the other choice?"

"We go straight to the village we need to go to. It's shorter. But," He gave her a sidelong look, "There's lots of monsters on the way. Are you sure you can handle it?"

In reply, Lightning grasped her gunblade tightly before spinning it and sending him a smirk. "Bring it on."

* * *

The first monster was within sight. He was large, with beastly horns and fire in his eyes. Lucil glanced at Lightning.

"We can still go back, it only makes a few days difference anyway."

Lightning bit back her uneasiness, and stepped out of the shadows. The beast locked on its target immediately. With a menacing growl, he leapt into a straight out charge. Lucil swore under his breath, muttering about his leg, before jumping in the firing line.

The majestic sword glinted in his hand as it swung out across the beast's leg.

"You have a blade!" Lightning gasped, momentarily forgetting they were in the middle of a battle. She admired its curved metal and glinting stones set in the hilt. "A bit flashy, but it's a nice piece of work."

"Why thank you," He smiled generously, turning to look at her as the beast tried to stand. "I inherited it, actually. Being a Donahue and all did have some benefits-"

The beast, which had gotten up and started towards him quietly, shrieked with pain as Lucil, without turning around, swung his sword and got him straight on the nose.

"-I, however," Lucil continued matter-of-factly, showing no interest in the steadily angered beast, "-very much appreciated that gunblade the first moment you brought it out. Can't believe I missed it in that river, if I knew I probably-"

"Duck!" Lightning shouted, lifting her blade.

Lucil immediately ducked and rolled forwards – but it didn't go to plan. As he began to put pressure on his bad leg, it buckled, sending him crumpling onto the ground.

"Lightning!" He shouted, pointing behind her.

Gasping, Lightning spun, her blade striking forwards with such menace that she felt its power humming along her arm-

And then, it froze, an inch away from the beast's neck.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Both the beast and Lightning were befuddled – the beast thought he was as good as dead, and so did Lightning. But when the blade stopped, the beast quickly acted.

Lightning let out a yep of pain as she was thrown halfway across the clearing. Biting her lip until it drew blood; she cradled her stomach, crumbled much like Lucil on the dirty forest floor.

"Argh…" She groaned, looking up at the approaching beast with pain ridden eyes.

She heard Lucil shouting something, probably cursing with that mouth of his. The beast had recovered from its initial shock, and now stalked forwards with satisfaction.

Was this really it?

Lightning dragged her once loyal blade closer. It gleamed, sharp.

"Why?" She mumbled to it, eyeing it as if it were a traitor.

And in response, the blade shook, rattling in her hand, before a light blazed brightly.

"Ha!" Lucil shouted, and leapt in front of her as the beast reared upon her.

His sword struck right through it's heart… and then, the whole clearing was a bright white. Blinded, Lucil reached out, trying to find his companion. His hand gripped something soft. His other hand fell on something cold.

"The key..." Lightning's voice came quietly.

Lucil squinted, and the light finally disappeared, leaving them in the sunlit forest. His hand was on the hilt of Lightning's blade, and then he saw her.

"Lightning!" He called to her, shaking her shoulders roughly. "Wake up!"

The terrified look on her face increased his fear.

…

…

…

…

_It was a funny place. Full of nothing. Just grey and fathomless. Like a waiting room, of some sort. _

_A lovely hand was in front of her, holding the handle of an equally lovely gunblade. I reached for it- before realising that hand was actually mine. I flicked my wrist, and the blade responded._

_And then I raised my head, and saw myself. _

"_Me?" I mumbled, and peered at the figure lying on the floor, lifeless. When it gave a twitch, I leapt back. Perhaps not to so dead, then. _

_Nevertheless, I was curious, and so I walked forwards. What a funny feeling. I looked down, to make sure I really was putting one foot in front of the other, before everything came crashing down._

_I'm…see through?_

_I realised, with a growing horror, that while I was here, my actual body was almost see through. I could see the white floor, the white walls – all through my body. _

"_W e l c o m e ."_

_I looked up to see that the me on the floor had stood suddenly, her weapon withdrawn._

_My blade, I think, comparing the one in my hand, with the one her self was holding across the room. _

_The Lightning across the room was glaring at something, weapon still raised, feet planted solidly beneath her as though she expected she would have to be ready to battle._

"_Where am I?" Lightning commanded, sword hovering threateningly. _

_I want to see who's there… I managed to manoeuvre myself around a long white pillar._

_And there was a beautiful lady, as see through as myself. The lady was beautiful, yes, but retained a sense of fierceness. Of knowing how to look after yourself. Of knowing knowledge._

"_Why am I here?" The Lightning demanded, and I realised that she was actually feeling a rush of fear. _

_Of course, it seemed perfectly acceptable – being in this strange place, with an amazingly beautiful woman staring at you with all-knowing eyes. _

"_W e l c o m e." The lady spoke again, a breath of wisdom. "Claire Farron."_

_But the Lightning hardly flinched, waiting for her answer._

"_Or, is it… Lightning?" The lady continued, almost warmly. She tilted her head, and realeased a terrific smile. "Where are my manners, please, take a seat."_

_I looked around to see that there was no seat, other than the throne the lady was sitting at. I turned back to the Lightning-me, to see how she would handle it. _

_Her eyes remained focused, unblinking on the lady. She had no times for games._

_The lady let out a tinkling laugh. "Ah, my games do not fool one as strong as you, dear one, and it is foolish of me to think you would be amused by such tedious things." She lifted a hand, "Come closer, and I shall tell you the answer to your quest."_

_Lightning remained where she was. "Quest?"_

"_You came to me, did you not?" _

"_I…I didn't go knowingly." Lightning replied, firm._

_The lady moved her head, and the crown of jewels on her hair tinkled, much like her laughter. "If it pleases you to think that way, but I know that you left your world, to continue your quest – you do want to awaken your friends from the Oerba clan, am I correct?"_

_Lightning felt something pulse inside her, and momentarily, she let her defence down. "There's a way to save them?"_

_The lady looked sympathetic. "Your friends do not need saving." But she stood from her throne and floated closer, "I am sorry, for their misfortune and yours. It was not I, who decided your fate. But Fate, oh brave heart, is a fickle thing. Sometimes, it does bend to our innermost desires."_

_The lady looked calm and gentle, and she bowed her head slightly. "I am Etro." A low laugh passed her lips and she looked up again, "You may know me, as the God of Death."_

_There was so much pain in her eyes, that I and my mirror image immediately flinched. _

"_I am the dispelled god. The weak one. I have no powers bound to me, but with my departure I created a magnificent legacy. One of true power…Humans."_

"_You see, there are two worlds. The visible, and the invisible." Etro began, like a school teacher. _

_Lightning stated, "The living, and the dead."_

_The goddess smiled. "Very good. Yes, the world of the living, and the shadow world. This is where the story begins."_

"_Long ago, there was a god who ruled the world. Do you know who that was?" Etro passed a sidelong glance at Lightning, tips of her lips smiling upward._

"_Buniberzei." Lightning answered obediently, a slant in her eyes. "He defeated Goddess Muin, who was his mother. And-"_

"_-took the world for himself." Etro nodded, twirling her fingers through the air as if painting the scene. "Muin then disappeared to the invisible world, devastated at her loss and grieving at what could happen to the world in his greedy hands." _

_Etro paused, before a ghost of a smile flittered over her face. "Of course, when she left so quickly, little Buniberzei thought she was up to a sort of game, not expecting her to, lets say, 'back down so quietly."_

"_He thought she laid a curse on the world, because everything was dying." Lightning's eyes sparkled, curious. "He set out to destroy her and make the curse disappear, but he could not find the door to the invisible world."_

_Pleased, Etro graced Lightning with a angelic smile. "And so the fal'Cie were created. Pulse. The first fal'Cie, the duty bestowed upon him was to open the world, and search for the door between the visible and invisible world. And then…"_

"_Etro. But, that's you…" And with a sudden horror, Lightning leapt back, gunblade once again held ready._

_But before she could open her mouth, Etro held up her pale hands in surrender._

"_I know you have not had good relations with the fal'Cie on your journey, and I am terribly sorry for their foolishness. But I, I am not like them." Etro spoke clearly, "I mean you and your friends no harm. Trust, my dear."_

_When Lightning did not drop her weapon or move closer, Etro sighed, before stepping back, allowing Lightning more space to cool._

"_He created me next. He did not mean to make me look like Muin. In the end, he feared me. I was given no power. No responsibility. I was left alone, with no purpose, no company." Pain surged in her eyes. "He created Lindzei." She spat it with so much revulsion that Lightning flinched, eyes wide at this sudden behaviour change._

"_No love between you?" Lightning remarked dryly._

_Etro blinked and looked up at the human almost fearfully. "Lindzei…he was who I was meant to be…and the power that Buniberzei gave him…well, it was hard not to admire, not to envy…" She lowered her head again. "He took my place as Buniberzei's protector. Anyone who wished to destroy Buniberzei, had to go through Lindzei…and…it was painful to watch…"_

_With that, Etro suddenly turned away and fled to her throne. Once there, she took a moment, before sitting down on the throne and facing Lightning._

"_He…fell into crystal stasis then, right?" Lightning asked gently._

_Etro nodded. "Until Pulse found the door, and Lindzei woke him."_

_Lightning nodded, knowing the story well from years before. "But they were different, Pulse and Lindzei, right? Pulse created fal'cie and l'cie to expand the world, where as Lindzei wanted to protect the world, so he made them."_

_Smiling once more, Etro congratulated her silently. "Yes. They were both created by Buniberzei and given a purpose to help him, yet they developed different ideas on how everything should be."_

"_And meanwhile, you were still powerless." Lightning pointed out, blatantly. She flushed after, and decide to come forwards, walking casually, knife tip bouncing on the tip of each foot as it strode forward._

"_Quite." Etro pursed her lips, amused. "I was lonely. So, I left only my blood behind and fled to the invisible world. From my blood, humankind was born. It was…unintentional. I didn't know it would happen. I feel guilty, sometimes. I feel like I passed on the loneliness and depression…of course, they were born only to die…a miserable life. No immortality. I suppose, if I was given powers…I may have made everyone l'cie and sent them on impossible focuses, granting them immortality…but I think the crystalisation stasis would be very difficult to live with…your loved ones, frozen. You alive, but knowing your time will come…but not knowing if you'll be alive together again…"_

_Lightning looked at her reflection in her gunblade and frowned. Talking of crystal stasis, shouldn't she be…?_

_Etro caught on to her thoughts and lifted a hand. "I will tell you later, but now, shall we continue the story?"_

_Managing to stuff her questions and worry down, Lightning spoke, "The balance?"_

"_Yes, if I did do that, the balance would be destroyed… everything must live and die. If this balance was destroyed…then the world would be too. I seeked help from Muin in the invisible world, but she could not help. She was lost to the chaos of the invisible world. When I went to her, she told me that I must protect the balance. And then she left."_

"_You must have been happy." Lightning wondered, "To finally have a focus of your own."_

"_Yes, but I did not understand it then. I was foolish. I've been told I was too affectionate to humans. To those who lived to die. When they came to the door, I smiled, and I gave them a bit of chaos. They named it lovingly."_

_Lightning touched her hand gently atop her chest. "Heart."_

"_Yes." Etro looked blissful for a moment, a slight blush on her cheeks. "It was their own little bit of power. It is your own little bit of power. With that piece of chaos, with that heart, you humans can do extroadinary things."_

"_You speak of humans so lovingly, yet they call you the God of Death."_

"_Ah, but everyone has a right to being foolish. Even the fal'Cie." She smirked slightly, "At the time, and even now, humans do not recognise the full power of their heart. But they still hold it close. And, accidentally, I had fulfilled Muin's last wish. I had restored balance."_

_Lightning revelled in the knowledge left out of the story by humans and textbooks. "So, it is true."_

"_Hmm? What's that?" Etro tilted her head._

_Lightning laughed lightly. "Love conquers all, right?"_

_The goddess hid a smile under a sweep of her golden locks. And then, her eyes met mine and suddenly the Lightning across the room and I – we merged to become one._

"_Sleep easy, now. You know the truth, and I will let you find yourself more before I call upon you."_

_And she stood, her hand reaching up above herself._

_Then, with a flurry of white feathers, we were in darkness._


End file.
